Wednesday, June 11, 2008

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 11,2008) - A Prosecution witness, whose personal details may not be publicly announced, as requested by the Trial Chamber, testified yesterday before the Bosnian State Court that Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic raped her in June 1992.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor considers that, in July 1992,in the early stages of the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic abused and raped a Bosnian woman in the eastern Bosnian town of Foca.

Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic,former member of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor's formations, is charged also with another rape committed in April 1992, as well as with kidnapping one Bosnian civilian from Foca.

As determined in the course of the investigation, both rape victims still suffer the consequences of that crime.

"In June 1992 Miodrag took his wife to a hospital, as she was supposed to deliver a baby. He came to pick me up, saying that I should clean up his apartment. While I was vacuum cleaning, he was lying there, touching himself. Then he started unbuttoning his clothes. He pushed me on the floor. I resisted as much as I could... He told me to take my clothes off, or otherwise he would call my brother to do that," the witness said.

According to this witness, the indictee then asked her to "cuddle and kiss" him, telling her that he liked her and her long hair.

"He said he would do it quickly this time, as he did not have much time but maybe the next time would be a bit better. He raped me and then he left. He told me to finish what I was doing. Then I took scissors and cut my hair in order to punish myself," the witness said.

The witness said that, after the indictee's wife had delivered a baby, she had to move in to Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic's apartment', as she was his slave until August 13, 1992, when she escaped from Foca.

She said that she was pregnant when she left Foca. From there she went to Novi Pazar, where she had an abortion.

"I did not want any papers or evidence related to the abortion. I just wanted to settle that. When I got married I could not conceive. All gynecological aspects are fine but doctors say that it is all in my mind," the witness said.

The Prosecution witness was 21 years old when the Serbian aggression against Bosnia started. She told the Bosnian State Court that, prior to being raped by Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic, she was raped by Serbian war criminal named Raso Kovac, who came "to search her apartment" in April 1992. She said that she did not become pregnant at that time.

The trial of Serbian war criminal Miograg Nikacevic is due to continue before the Bosnian State Court on June 17, when two Prosecution witnesses will be examined..